Shoe buttoning machine



May 8, 1934. J. BAzzoNl SHOE BUTTONING MACHINE Filed Sept. 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 8, 1934. l.. J. BAzzoNl SHOE BUTTONING MACHINE Filed Sept. 8, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 8, 1934. L. J. BAzzoNl 1,957,574

SHOE BUTTONING MACHINE si y Figa?. @W @im VEN TUR. l

Patented May 8, 1934 U E 1i? mmm SHOE BUT'INING MACEHNE Lewis J. Baazoni, Swampscott, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 8, 1932, Serial No. SSZSS 22 Claims.

This invention relates to buttoning machines for boots and shoes and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine of the step-by-step type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States 5 No. l,702,398,granted February 19, 192g, upon my application, which machine is arranged to button advantageously the uppers of completed shoes but is also capable of successful use for detached uppers or gaiters. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine of this type.

Buttoning machines of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned patent are each provided with a button raceway and have a button feeder to feed l5 the buttons one at a time to the end of a raceway, fly feeding iingers to position a huttonhole at the end of the raceway, and buttoning instrumentalities to spread open a buttonhole for the reception of a button as the latter is pushed out 2G of the raceway and through the buttonhole. Provision has been made in such machines for readily adapting the machines to variations in spacing of buttonholes and buttons.

Better to meet this requirement of varied spacing and in accordance with a feature of the invention, the illustrated machine is provided with improved mechanism for operating buttonholefly feeding means which mechanism intermittently carries the iiy forward to a fixed buttoning 3G position adjacent to the end of the button raceway, the illustrated mechanism being arranged to prevent overthrow in the forward and feeding direction while also insuring against tearing of the ily during retrograde movement thereof. In order that this may be accomplished most efciently, with the fingers starting at various points according to the spacing of the buttonholes, the illustrated arrangement comprises a cam-operated lever for pushing forward a lever carrying -'ghe fly feeding fingers and mechanism for then locking the levers together positively for a short distance before the end of the raceway is reached, thus preventing overthrow, and for unlocking them after they start back to find the next buttonhole. In order to be sure to avoid tearing the buttonhole, the illustrated mechanism is arranged then to retract the iiy feeding fingers impositively under the pressure of a spring, allowing the cam-operated lever to complete its retrograde movement alone,

if necessary.

Because of this same element of varied spacing between the buttons, provision has also been made in the illustrated machine for locking the button feeding finger against deflection, after it has snapped over the next succeeding button dur- (Cl. l2-69.3)

ing its retrograde movement, so that there will be no danger of delivering more than one button at a time to the end of the raceway. The illustrated arrangement further provides for positive f eeding of the button, with which the feeding nger 69 has been brought into engagement, by having the nger locked at this time. At the completion of the forward feeding movement this lock is automatically released preparatory to the commencement of the retrograde movement.

Other improvements looking toward even greater positiveness in operation than has heretofore characterized buttoning machines are embodied in the illustrated machine in a slideably mounted closure for the end of the button raceway, in im- 7o proved driving mechanism for the buttonhole clamping and spreading fingers including a toothed connection to one of these members, and in means for mounting the button clamping member for sliding movement substantially in line with the vertical axis of a button.

These and other features of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the accompanying specification taken in connection with the drawings, in which Fig. l is a front elevation of the machine with parts of the casing broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary angular view showing the buttoning instrumentalities operating upon the lowest button of a shoe and with the parts in the positions occupied at the end of the button feed;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary angular view showing the buttoning instrumentalities and a portion of a piece of work in the position which the parts occupy just before the button is pushed through the buttonhole;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the head of the machine with the cover removed and the parts are shown in the position occupied just as the work-feeding movement starts;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line V-V of Fig. 1i;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in front elevation with the button feeding slide in another position; and

Fig. '7 is an angular view taken from the rear of the machine and showing the arm carrying the buttonhole ily feeding nngers and the escapernent lever for operating the same.

The frame 10 is provided with four apertured lugs 12 at the bottom which are adapted to receive rods (not shown) to mount the same on the top of a machine column such as that shown in the Bazzoni Patent No. 1,702,398 to which 110 reference has been made above. As in the machine shown in the patent, a driving motor and control mechanism may be provided within the machine column and connected to a cam shaft 14 in the head by means of a driving chain 16 (Fig. 4). This chain is passed over a sprocket made integral with a gear 18 which is loose upon the cam shaft and which is positioned side by side with another gear 20 pinned to the cam shaft. Below these gears and adapted to interconnect them is a similar gear 22 pinned to a slide 24 having an operating hand-wheel 26. When positioned as shown in Fig. 4, the mechanism in the head is disconnected from the driving mechanism and, if the operator desires, he may turn the parts over by hand by means of the hand-wheel 26 to move the machine slowly and determine whether any adjustments are necessary. When the machine is to be driven by power, the slide 24 is moved to the left in Fig. 4 so that the gear 22 meshes with both of the pinions 18 and 20 and causes them to move in unison.

The illustrated machine, like that shown in the prior patent referred to, is adapted for use in the packing room of a shoe factory for buttoning the buttons of a shoe upper before inserting the shoe in its carton so that it may maintain its shape and present a good appearance for display to a customer. To this end the machine is provided with a button raceway 30 mounted in a substantially vertical plane for reasons described in the said patent and adapted to receive the buttons of a shoe to be operated upon. The machine is also provided with upper and lower buttonhole fiy feeding fingers 32 and 34 (Figs. 2 and '7) adapted to enter the buttonhole which corresponds to the button first inserted in the raceway. When the machine is set in operation, the buttons and the corresponding buttonholes are brought successively into operating position at the end of the raceway, and buttoning instrumentalities, to be described, operate to spread open the buttonhole across the slot at the end of the raceway and push the corresponding button through the opened buttonhole. Another button and buttonhole will then be brought into operative position and the cycle repeated, the arrangement preferably being like that described in said patent so that the machine will be stopped automatically after a predetermined number of cycles corresponding to the number of buttons on the shoes being handled.

The button raceway has an enlarged portion 36 (Figs. 1 and 6) to facilitate the insertion of the heads of the buttons so that the shanks will pass through the slot of the raceway with the bottoms of the heads bearing upon the rear side of the raceway. The raceway or button guide 30 is preferably formed in a plate 38 screwed to the front of the frame serving as a closure therefor, and interposed between the shoe and the moving parts of the machine. This plate is, however, provided with a slot 40 through which emerges a button feeding finger 42 the operative end 44 of which slides along the raceway 30 in contact with the lower edge of the upper portion thereof, which portion is provided with a slight groove near its left-hand end to assist in guiding this finger, and also has an outwardly projecting lip 48 for cooperation with the buttoning instrumentalities in a manner which will later appear. The forward end 44 (Figs. 1 and 6) of the button feeding finger 42 engages the shanks of successive buttons to push them along the raceway and to position them at the open end of the raceway for insertion in the buttonholes of a buttonhole fly. To this end the finger 42 is pivotally mounted at 50 upon a slide 52 movable in a guideway formed in the frame l0 and held therein by the cover plate 38. A forked lever` 54 engaging a block 56 (Fig. '7) pivoted to this slide is oscillated by a connecting link 58 joined to other partsof the machine, as Will be later described, to move the slide 52 back and forth so as to bring the buttons successively into operating position. A stop 6() (Fig. 6) on the slide 52 cooperates with the heel of the lever 42 to limit its turning movement under the pressure of a spring 62.

To make the operation of the button feeding finger 42 more positive, provision is made for locking the finger during its forward feeding movement, thereby to prevent it from slipping under the shank of a button which it is feeding. On the rearward movement of the feeding finger it is released until it has slipped past the shank of the next succeeding button, after which it is again positively locked to the slide so that it cannot pass over more than one button shank and hence must feed the button which is next to the one just inserted. To this end there is slidably mounted in lugs projecting forwardly from the slide 52 a locking pin 64, spring-pressed toward the left in Figs. 1 and 6, and provided with a disk-like head 66. The left end of this locking pin 64 cooperates with an enlargement of the heel of the finger 42 to lock it against the abutment 60, as in Fig. 1, so that the forward end 44 of the finger is held against the upper side of the raccway 30 and can travel along the groove 46. When the slide, and hence the button feeding linger, nearly reaches the limit of its feeding movement, the disk-like head 66 will Contact with a fixed abutment 68 attached to the closure plate 38, thereby drawing back the locking pin 64 and allowing a trip lever 70 pivotally mounted on the slide and rotated by a spring (not shown) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l to snap in back of the head of the disk into the position shown in Fig. 6, thus holding the locking pin out of engagement with the button feeding finger. This relation will continue until, during the retrograde movement of the finger 42 of the slide 52, the forward end 44 of the nger'has been dragged past the shank of the next succeeding button and been downwardly defiected thereby. This will raise the heel of the finger 42, displacing the trip lever '70 and allowing the locking pin 64 to be spring pressed back into locking engagement with the heel of the button feeding finger 42, thereby preventing it from riding over the shanks of any more buttons during this retrograde movement and locking it for the next forward feeding movement. It should be noted that the parts, as shown in l, are in the position when the button feeding slide 52 is nearly at its extreme righthand position.

With this scheme of consecutive operation upon the buttons of a shoe, it is necessary to bring forward to the buttoning instrumentalities successive buttonholes of the buttonhole fiy 72, which is shown in Fig. 2 as incorporated in a shoe 74. This shoe is provided with buttonholes '76 and buttons 78 (Fig. 3) the Shanks 80 of which are attached to a button fly 82. The lower buttonhole fly feeding finger 34 is positioned in a groove at the top of a block 84 and is rigidly attached therein by means of a screw (Fig. '7). This block 84 is secured to an upright pin 86 (Fig. 1) pvoted in lugs on the upper part of a fly feeding lever 90 which is pivoted at 92 in the frame of the machine. It is this lever to which the link 58 for operating the button feeding lever 54 is attached, and retrograde movement of the parts is effected in part by 1 a long helical spring 94 (Fig. 4) passing through a chamber formed in a boss 96 on the frame to push against the lever 9). The tension of this spring may oe adjusted by means of an abutment screw 98. The upper ily feeding finger 32 is integral with a thumb piece 160 (Figs. 1 and 4) and the piece is pivoted upon the side of the block 84 with the finger 32 held normally in engagement with the upper side of the lower finger 34 by means of a spring lill (Fig. 7) which encircles a pivot pin 1G2. Provision is made for manually raising this finger 32, when it is to be inserted in the buttonhole corresponding to the first button to be inserted, by means of a lifting lever 194 having a projecting portion 106 (Fig. 1) folded into the notch between the finger 32 and the thumb 100. Adjustably mounted upon the upper surface f the lower fly feeding ilnger 34 is a narrow plate 108 (Fig. 7) having an upwardly projecting gage stud 110 which is adapted to ride against the edge of the buttonhole ily (Fig. 2) as the feeding lingers are being moved rearwardly along the said ily to enter the next succeeding buttonhole, as will be later described. The plate 108' is attached to the finger 34 by means of a screw 112 assing through a slot therein so that the gage pin 110 may be adjustably positioned for different widths of buttonhole flies. In order to bring the buttonhole into position at the open end of the raceway, provision is made for drawing back the fly feeding fingers 32 and 34, thereby to raise the buttonhole fly at the termination of its feeding movement. To this end the block S4 carrying these feed fingers is provided with a cam roll 114 (Fig. 7) held in engagement with a cam plate 116 by means of a spring 118 (Fig. l) wrapped around the stud 86 and tending to turn the block 84 counterclockwise as viewed from above. This cam plate 116 is adiustably secured by means of screws 120 to a portion of the frame 1G, the screws .passing through slots in the cam plate to permit the time of raising the ily to be adjustably determined.

The ily feeding fingers are rst separated by the operator and inserted in the first buttonhole and when the machine is started these fingers operate to carry a buttonhole to the delivery end of the raceway for engagement by buttoning instrumentalities, to be described, and then, while the buttonhole fly is gripped by these instrumentalities to travel back along the buttonhole fly with the gage finger 110 riding along one edge of the buttonhole fly and with the upper finger 32 dragging against the outer side of the buttonhole fly until that finger enters the next succeedinCr buttonhole. These operating movements of the fly feeding lever 9G are effected by means of a cam-operated escapement lever 122 (Fig. '7) having a forked upper end and provided with a cam roll 124 engaging a track of a barrel cam 126 secured to the cam shaft 14. Such a cam, however, provides a throw of positive extent for the escapement lever 122 and hence makes no provision f or the condition which arises when the spacing between successive buttonholes is uneven, accidentally or intentionally. To meet this condition and to avoid tearing the buttonhole ily during the retrograde movement of the pivoted finger 32 as it is dragged along the surface of the ily to enter the nez-zt succeeding buttonhole, an impositive connection is provided between the escapement lever 122 and the fly feeding lever 9G. The general arrangement of this connection is such that the fly feeding lever 9G is pushed against the tension of the spring 94 during the forward feeding movement, is locked to the cam operated lever 122 for a short period just before it reaches the end of its forward movement until just after it is started on its retrograde movement. This prevents overthrow in the forward movement and starts the retrograde movement gently. The locking connection is then interrupted so that the continuing retrograde movement is effected wholly by the spring 94, thus preventing any tearing of the buttonhole and allowing the cam operated lever to complete its stroke.

A positive forward movement of the fly feeding lingers is effected by engagement of a lug (Fig. 7) on the escapeinent lever 122 with one side of the fly feeding lever 90. To prevent overthrow of the fly feeding lingers or the button feeding finger, the lever 90 is locked to the escapement lever 122 by means of a bell crank lever 1.32 pivoted upon one arm of the escapement lever and having a cam roll 134 traveling in a cam path provided in a block 136 secured to the frame of the machine. At its other end the bell crank lever 132 has afoot 138 which is interposed between the other arm of the escapement lever 122 and a lug 142 on the ily feeding lever thus locking them together. The operation of the cam track in the block 136 upon this bell crank lever is such that the foot 138 is lifted and in a position between the arm 140 of the escapement lever and the lug 142 of the ily feeding lever just before the forward movement ends, to prevent overthrow, and continues for an equal retrograde movement and thereby effects a gentle positive retrograde movement fora short distance. Before the movement has progressed very far, however, the foot 138 is withdrawn, leaving the fly feeding lever 9D to the action of the spring 94 and thereby preventing injury to the buttonhole fly as the lngers 32 and 34 engage the next succeeding buttonhole and allowing the cam lever 122 to complete its cycle regardless of the spacing between buttonholes.

The completion of the feeding movements described above has brought a button to the end of the raceway and a buttonhole in position adjacent thereto, whereupon the buttoning instruinentalities become effective to grasp the button and the buttonhole ily, to spread open the buttonhole across the delivery end of the raceway, and to push the button into the opened buttonhole. In order that the button to be acted upon may not be accidentally removed from the raceway until the proper time, there is provided a raceway closure the upper end of which is positioned across the delivery end of the raceway and is held there resiliently by a spring 152 (Figs. 1 and 5). In the illustrated machine this raceway closure 150 is mounted to slide in a vertical groove formed in the frame and is retained therein by a separate closure plate 154. The limit of upward movement is determined by a lug 156 on the slide, as shown in Fig. 5, and the tension of the spring may be adjusted by turning an abutment screw 158. Such a mounting for the raceway closure makes it very rigid and insures against accidental bending thereof during the use of the machine.

In the buttoning operation, the rear side of the buttonhole 76 (Fig. 2) is gripped against the lip 48 (Fig. 3) on the raceway by means of a fly gripping finger 160 freely pivoted upon a rod 162 (Fig. 5). The hub of this gripping finger has formed upon it a depending spring cup 164 on which there is a lug 166 for a purpose which will appear. Also secured to the hub of this finger is a cam 168 the utility of which will be later described. On the same rod 162 is the hub of a fly gripping and spreading finger 170 which contacts with the buttonhole fly at the forward side of the buttonhole directly above the raceway closure 150 (Fig. 2) and in its continued operation serves not only to inove this closure out of the way but also to spread the buttonhole to a position such as that shown in Fig. 3 for the insertion of a button 78 therein. The operation of this clamping and spreading finger 170 is effected positively and without opportunity for bending of the small parts involved by means of a bell crank lever 172 (Fig. 5) pivoted at 174 in the frame of the machine and operated by a cam track 176 in the lateral face of a barrel cam 178 secured to the cam shaft 14. This bell crank lever 172 has a gear segment meshing with a corresponding segment upon the ily gripping and spreading finger 170. This bell crank lever also operates, through a spring 180 received in the spring cup 164, to press the other fly gripping finger 160 resiliently against the fly supported by the raceway. Upon this saine finger 170 there is provided a toe 182 positioned for engagement with the lug 166, thereby positively to lift the ily gripping finger 160.

After the buttonhole has been spread open in the position shown in Fig. 3 and at the same time the raceway closure 150 has been pushed out of the way, provision is made for pushing the button through the buttonhole to finish the buttoning operation. This is accomplished by means of a button pusher 190 (Fig. 1) formed on the end of a bell crank lever 192 pivoted in the frame of the machine and having its lower arm 194 (Fig. 5)

provided with a cam roll cooperating with a track 196 in the periphery of the barrel cam 178. The button pusher is therefore operated at just the proper time to carry the button out of the raceway and to push the head of the button through the buttonhole. On this same bell crank lever 192 is a wiper 198 adapted for engagement with the depending thumb 100 formed integrally with the upper fly feeding finger 32 when the latter is at the end of the forward feed and in a position at the left of that shown in Fig. 1, thereby to withdraw the upper fly feeding finger from the buttonhole preparatory to its retrograde movement.

Improper tilting of the button as it is pushed out of the raccway in the buttonhole is prevented by means of a button clamp 200 formed at the outer end of a sliding rod 202'journaled in lugs formed on a depending web 204 (Figs. 4 and 5) forming a part of the machine frame. The rear end of this rod 202 is made hollow to receive a spring 206 which is held in line by a pin projecting from an adjusting screw 208 and which acts to move the button clamp 200 against the head of the button as soon as it is released by the cam 168. This cam 168 operates against a roller 210 pivoted between the arms of a bifurcated lever 212 hanging on a pivot screw 214. The lower end of this lever is forked to engage the sides of a flattened portion 216 of the rod 202 (Fig. 4) between flanges 220 thereon. This keeps the button clamp 200 upright and either draws it away from the button or allows it to be spring pressed into engagement with the head of the button, as shown in Fig. 3, in the' proper sequence.

It will appear from this description that there is one rotation of the cam shaft for each cycle of the machine. Accordingly, provision is made to count the number of buttons inserted by means of a counter 222 of any suitable and usual construction which is interconnected with the cam shaft 14 to count its rotations.

In the use of the machine, which is adapted for usewith unattached uppers or gaiters or completed shoes, but which is particularly adapted for the latter use because it allows the shoe to hang naturally and clear of the moving parts, the buttons on the button ily will be inserted in the slot of the raceway by the operator. If the shoe is a left shoe the top button will be inserted first, while if it is a right shoe the lowest button will be inserted first. The buttonhole corresponding to the button which was first inserted in the raceway will then be placed between the fly feeding fingers 32 and 34 (Figs. 2 and 5) by actuating the lifting lever 104. It will be understood that the first button inserted in the raceway will be dragged past the operating end 44 of the button feedingflnger, which will thereupon be locked rigidly in position by the locking pin 64 (Fig. l). The application of power to the machine will serve to move the carriers for both the button feeding finger 42 and the y feeding fingers 32, 34, and just before the completion of this feeding movenient the cam 116 (Fig. 7) will become effective to turn the head 84 carrying the fly feeding ngers, thereby to raise the buttonhole ily and carry it inwardly away from the operator into such position that the full width of the buttonhole will be approximately opposite to the maximum width of the button. Continued operation of the machine will be effective to lower the fly gripping ngers 160 and 170 (Fig 2) clamping the reai side of the buttonhole against the lip 48 of the raceway, and spreading the buttonhole across the delivery end of a raceway, as in Fig. 3, without undue strain thereon, for the reception of a button. As the y gripping and spreading fingers descend into engagement with the work, the button clamp 200 (Fig. 3) will be released and urged forward by its spring 206 (Fig. 5) into engagement with the head of the button, as shown in Fig. 3. During this movement of the fly gripping and spreading lingers 160 and 170, the cam track 196 (Fig. 1) of the barrel cam 178 will start the button pusher 190 forward so that it will engage the side of the head of the button and push it out from beneath the clamp 200 into the open buttonhole. During this movement the wiper cam 198, by engaging the thumb 100, will become effective to lift the upper ily feeding finger 32 out of the buttonhole. These fingers will then start to move rearwardly, that is to say, to the right, along the raceway while the buttonhole is still clamped by the fingers 160 and 170. The ily feeding fingers 32 and 34 are started positively along the buttonhole ily to engage the next succeeding buttonhole, but because of the removal of the foot 138 (Fig. 7) this driving action will very soon become impositive and will depend upon the resiliency of the spring 94, thus preventing any tearing of the buttonhole even though the full movement of the fly feeding lever 90 is greater than the spacing between successive buttonholes. This movement of the fly feeding lever 9() will also be communicated through the link 58 and the lever 54 to the button slide 52. 1t will be reinembered that at the completion of the button feedmember for moving the feeding means, and

ing operation the feeding linger 4'2 has been released from its locking pin 64 by reason of the engagement of the head 66 with the abutment 68 (Fig. 6). As soon, however, as the forward end 44 of the button feeding finger drags over the shank of the next succeeding button, there will be a displacement of the heel of the button feeding finger 42 which will act through the trip lever 70 to release the locking pin 64 and allow it to be spring pressed into operative position, thereby preventing the button feeding finger 42 from sliding past more than one button in the raccway. The button pusher 19@ with its wiper cam 198 will be returned to their original positions and the ily gripping fingers 16S and 179 will be raised out of contact with the buttonhole fly before the completion of the retrograde movement of the feeding lingers. This raising of the fly gripping ilnger 160 will move the cam 168 into the position shown in Fig. 5 to withdraw the button clamp 200 to its inoperative position and the raising of the gripping linger 170 will allow the raceway closure 150 (Fig. 3) to return to its original position across the end of the slot of the raceway. This cycle will then be continued as many times as there are buttons to be inserted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, means for feeding a buttonhole fly step by step in accordance with the spacing between the buttonholes of the ily, and mechanism for moving the feeding means constructed and arranged to impart a pushing movement to said feeding means in a direction to feed the work and to hold said feeding means against overthrow.

2. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, means for feeding a buttonhole ily by engagement successively with the buttonholes of the ily, positively-operated means for moving said feeding means, and means for locking the two together before the completion of said forward movement, thereby to bring the buttonhole ily positively into .buttoning position without overthrow.

3. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, buttoning instrumentalities operating upon the button and the buttonhole fly adjacent to the end of the raceway, buttonhole ily feeding means, a spring urging said fly feeding means in a retrograde direction, cam-operated means for pushing said feeding means in a forward direction, and means for interlocking the cani-operated means and the fly feeding means during the last portion of the forward feeding movement thereby to deliver the buttonhole in buttoning position adjacent to the end of the raceway without overthrow.

4. In a buttoning machine, interconnected button and buttonhole ily feeding means movable through a variable distance determined by the spacing of the buttonholes, cam-operated means to push said feeding means forward, a spring to return said feeding means, and means positively to connect said cam-operated means to said feeding means before the completion of the forward movement and to disconnect the two after the commencement of the retrograde movement.

5. In a buttoning machine, the combination of means for effecting relative movement between the buttons on a button piece and a buttonhole ily to push the buttons into the buttonholes of the fly, means for feeding the buttonhole fly by engagement with the buttonholes, a cam-operated means for locking said member positively to the feeding means during at least a portion of the forward movement.

6. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a deflectable button-feeding member, means for imparting' a bodily movement to said feeding member in one direction to drag it over the next succeeding button thereby deflecting the member and in the other direction to feed the button to the end of the raceway, and means for locking the button-feeding iinger against deiection after it has snapped over the next succeeding button during its retrograde movement.

7. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a deiiectable button-feeding member, means for imparting a bodily movement to said feeding member in one direction to drag it over the next succeeding button and in the other direction to feed the button to the end of the raceway, and means for locking the button-feeding finger against deflection after it has snapped over the next succeeding button during its retrograde movement and for holding it looked during the forward feeding movement.

8. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a deflectable button-feeding member, means for imparting a bodily movement to said feeding member in one direction to drag it over the next succeeding button and in the other direction to feed the button to the end of the raceway, means for locking button-feeding finger against deflection during the forward feeding movement, and means for releasing said locking means at the completion of the forward feeding movement.

9. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a pivotally mounted button feeding member, means for imparting forward and reverse movements of translation to the pivot of said feeding member, and means for locking said feeding member against turning during its forward feeding movement and releasing it during a part of its reverse movement.

10. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a button feeding nger, a movable support upon which said ilnger is pivotally mounted, means for locking said finger against turning during its feeding movement, and means for releasing said locking means upon the completion of its feeding movement whereby it is released to pass over the next succeeding button upon its reverse movement.

ll. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a movable support, a button feeding finger resilientiy mounted on said support, and means operable during retrograde movement of the support to lock said nger in rigid position on the support after it has passed the next succeeding button to be fed.

12. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a button feeding ilnger, a movable support upon which said finger is pivotally mounted and is resiliently held in button engaging position, and means operated by the displacement of the linger as it is dragged over a button during its retrograde movement constructed and arranged to lock said finger in position upon its support.

13. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, a slide, a button feeding finger pivoted on said slide and spring-pressed into position for engagement with buttons in the raceway, a locking member slidably mounted on said slide, a iixed abutment cooperating with said locking member to release the same and render it inactive upon the ne Y termination of its forward movement, and a trip interposed between the button feeding linger and the locking member constructed and arranged to render the locking member active as the button feeding finger is dragged over the next succeeding button in its retrograde movement.

14. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, button feeding and buttonhole fly feeding members arranged to carry the buttons one at a time along the raceway to the delivery end thereof and to feed the corresponding buttonholes of the buttonhole fly into position for the insertion of the buttons, a slidably mounted reciprocable displaceable member for closing the delivery end of the raceway, and buttoning instrumentalities including a button pusher.

15. In a buttoning machine, a raceway provided with a slot for the reception of the shanks of the buttons and open at the delivery end thereof, a button feeding device constructed and arranged to bring the buttons one at a time to the delivery end of the raceway, a raceway closure slidably mounted and closely guided in the machine and resiliently positioned to close the end of the raceway, and buttoning instrumentalities constructed and arranged to displace said closure to permit the button at the end of the raceway to be passed through the buttonhole.

16. In a buttoning machine, a frame, a button raceway mounted in an upright plane in said frame and having a slot for the Shanks of the buttons open at the delivery end, a raceway closure slidably mounted in said frame in an upright plane for straight-line movement and normally positioned across the delivery end of the slot, and buttonhole-fly clamping and spreading fingers constructed and arranged to open the buttonhole across the delivery end of the slot and to displace the raceway closure.

17. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway having a slot to receive the shanks of the buttons and provided with an open delivery end, a slidably mounted reciprocable raceway closure resiliently positioned to close the open end of the slot, means for clamping the butonhole iiy at one side of the buttonhole against the raceway, and a pivotally mounted spreading finger adapted to grip the fly at the other side of the buttonhole against said raceway closure and movable to move aside the raceway closure and to open the buttonhole across the open end of the delivery slot in position to receive the button in the raceway.

18. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, button feeding means for bringing a button to the delivery end of the raceway, buttoning instrumentalities comprisingv movable fly gripping and spreading fingers, means for resiliently holding the button to be inserted in the buttonhole against the racevvay, and means interconnecting said holding means with said gripping and spreading fingers for controlling the action of said button holding means.

19. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, button feeding means for bringing a button to the delivery end of the raceway, buttoning instrumentalities including a pusher for engaging and passing a button on the button piece into a buttonhole in a buttonhole iiy, a member for temporarily holding the button to be inserted against the raceway, means for slidably supporting said member for movement in line with the vertical axis of the button, resilient means urging said holding member in a direction to grip the button, and means moving in time relation to said button pusher to move said holding member out of engagement with the button.

20. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway having an open delivery end, a slidably mounted holding member for pressing the last button in the raceway against the raceway, a spring urging said holding member against the button, buttoning instrumentalities including iiy gripping and spreading ngers movable into engagement with the buttonhole fly and arranged in one position to maintain the holding member in inoperative position and in another position to release said button holding member to the action of its spring as the fly gripping fingers move to gripping position.

21. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a button racevvay to receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, grippers for clamping a portion of the buttonhole y to distend a buttonhole across the delivery end of the raceway, said grippers being pivotally mounted adjacent to the end of the racevvay, and means for operating said grippers comprising a cam-operated lever having a toothed connection to one of said grippers.

22. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a button racevvay to receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, spaced grippers to clamp the buttonhole fly at one side of a buttonhole and to distend the buttonhole across the delivery end of the raceway, said grippers being pivotally mounted adjacent to the end of the raceway, and a cam-operated lever having a toothed connection to the gripper which distends the buttonhole, and an impositive connection to the gripper which clamps the fly at the other side of the buttonhole.

LEWIS J. BAZZONI. 

